Top tips for making brown sugar simple syrup at home

• Gather the necessary ingredients – sugar, and water. And vanilla extract if you want to use it.
• If you have soft light or brown sugar they are the quickest to dissolve. But Demerara tastes just as good.
• I usually use demerara sugar for this recipe because it’s something we always have on the shelf. But when I’m really in need of a treat I always use muscovado sugar – it just turns everything up to eleven!
• Next, combine the sugar and water in your saucepan, and heat the mixture over low-medium heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved. This should take about 5 minutes.
• When the syrup starts to boil and all the sugar has melted, keep stirring and gradually turn down the heat to keep at a slow boil/simmer. You are aiming to boil off some of the water content. That will give the syrup a richer flavor and thicken it up.
• If you want that littyle extra flavor note from vanilla extract, add it here and allow it to mix with the syrup.
• As with all cooking, this is a very enjoyable and fulfilling experience. But like all cooking, you need to take care and not rush any of the steps. Take care not to splash the syrup when it is hot, as it can burn.
• Once cooled, transfer syrup into a sterilised airtight jar so that you can use it when needed
• Don’t forget to label the jar so you will remember which syrup is in it. AND put the date – so you know when to discard any syrup you have left over.
• Store in the fridge for up to two weeks, then discard any unused syrup. That’s why I made a small amount in this recipe – to avoid the risk of much going to waste!